The invention relates to an arrangement for connecting light waveguides, the said arrangement having a casing in which optoelectrical components are arranged.
Plug-in connectors with optoelectrical converters are being used to an increasing extent in industrial communications technology and in the field of automotive engineering because of their insusceptibility to interference from electromagnetic signals, their superior separation, in terms of potential, of the participants to a communication, and their extremely high speeds of data-transmission.
It is known practice, in light waveguide plug-in systems with optical/electrical converters, so-called xe2x80x9ctransceiver modulesxe2x80x9d, to arrange the converters, separately from the plug-in system, on a circuit board intended for further signal-processing. Under these circumstances, however, problems may arise for the optoelectrical components because of the effect of heatxe2x80x94in the course of a soldering process, for instance.
The underlying object of the invention, therefore, is to construct an arrangement for connecting light waveguides of the type initially mentioned, as a separate, preassembled structural element provided with plug-in connections.
This object is achieved, according to the invention, through the fact that a carrier body with a light waveguide plug-in side and an electrical plug-in side is provided in the casing, and that at least one optoelectrical converter with a light-sensitive face and with electrical connections is arranged in the said carrier body.
Advantageous refinements of the invention are indicated in claims 2 to 7.
The advantages achieved by means of the invention consist particularly in the fact that the arrangement for connecting light waveguides has a casing with a carrier body in which the optoelectrical components which carry out the conversion of optical signals into electrical signals are additionally arranged.
Furthermore, the casing and the carrier body inserted therein are constructed with a plug-in side for light waveguides and a plug-in side with electrical contacts for a counter-plug.
A further advantage of the invention lies in the fact that the arrangement contains a severable optical plug-in connection for light waveguides, so that it is possible, for example, to replace a light waveguide without any problems, especially as the casing is constructed so as to be unlockable without the use of a special tool.
A further advantage lies in the simple mechanical structure of this arrangement, so that, in addition to cost-effective production, rapid assembly with a high degree of security as regards fitting is achieved, reliable functionality being guaranteed by the use of components which have been subjected to final testing in each case. In addition, the simple fitting operation substantially facilitates any servicing which has to be carried out later.
Various embodiments for the connection of a light waveguide permit adaptation of the system to different functions. Thus, the coupling of a light waveguide to an optoelectrical converter may take place not only inside but also outside the carrier body.
Furthermore, it may possibly be of advantage to already connect the light waveguide fixedly to the carrier body during the production process and to combine the freely projecting end of the said light waveguide with any desired optical plug-in connector.